Port of Portland invests in export infrastructure

Portland - which is already the largest gateway on the U.S. West Coast for bulk mineral exports - is about to get more efficient and diversified with the expansion of the Canpotex Limited (Canpotex) potash export facility at the Port of Portland’s marine Terminal 5 in the Rivergate Industrial District.

With so much negative news surfacing on the Pacific Rim these days, it is important to remain aware that ports are continuing to build for the future.

Canpotex, through its wholly owned subsidiary, Portland Bulk Terminals, L.L.C. (PBT), is investing up to $140 million in new equipment and infrastructure to improve the efficiency of its shiploading operations and the management of Canpotex’s specialty white potash products.

A new shiploader, improved control system technology and an upgraded conveyance system will enable shorter turnaround times for Canpotex trains and ships at PBT. A new storage building will allow the potash exporter to better manage its specialty grade products at the terminal.

“This investment is great for Canpotex and the Port because it improves the speed and quality of our operations at the terminal. But it’s not just our company that benefits; we are doing our part to try to build efficiency into the transportation system in the Pacific Northwest corridor,” said Canpotex’s Steve Dechka, president and chief executive officer.

After significant collaboration and discussion with key stakeholders, Port staff and Portland Development Commission (PDC) personnel proposed an enterprise zone expansion to include the PBT facility. The expanded enterprise zone was approved unanimously by Portland City Council last December. The company’s plans began to materialize shortly thereafter and were officially approved at the October 8 Port Commission meeting.

Canpotex is a joint venture among three Province of Saskatchewan, Canada potash producers: Agrium, Mosaic and PotashCorp. Acting as an international marketing and logistics entity, Canpotex will continue to seek further capacity and efficiency enhancements across its supply chain as export markets allow. In addition to PBT, Canpotex has terminal operations at Neptune Terminal in Vancouver, B.C.

Potash, also known as potassium chloride, helps increase crop yields as a mineral nutrient used in fertilizer applications. More than two million metric tons of Saskatchewan potash is exported through Portland annually to international markets including Australia, Brazil, China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan.